MAI Blog

A radical design in both architecture and lighting. The iconic double-looped shape, a spiralling exhibition space, biking lanes, a pool of water with the famous Little Mermaid, and a beautiful dynamic illumination of both inner spaces and outer façades. During nighttime the façade displayed a vibrant, but stylish show of patterns and animations that made the building come to life.

The Denmark Pavilion for Expo 2010 in Shanghai was designed by the young and successful Danish company Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), and in addition to an iconic double-looped shape, it featured a media façade with 3600 pixels along the spiralling outer surface. The pixels were produced by a pattern of holes, which were fitted with diffusing tubes in different sizes. Each tube had a multi-color LED fixture and was controlled by a custom media playback system. This system was also tied in with a series of light and temperature sensors around the building, thereby controlling both light intensity and color temperature.